New stretch target

Firstly a huge THANK YOU to all who have contributed to our very first show and DVD. In fact a huge THANK YOU isn't enough, we need to give you a ginormous massive humongous thank you for helping us on our way and helping to keep the standard and tradition of Scottish children's theatre alive and well for years to come. We will never ever forget the kindess of yourselves from the positive vibes, lovely messages, donations and spreading the word of FUNBOX, every thing you've done no matter how great or small has played a very special part in the beginning of FUNBOX.

You are all continuing to be so generous and we would like to share what we plan to do with some of these incredible extra donations:

Invest back in the business. We want to keep things of the high standard you deserve.

Put towards our Christmas show... its never too early!

Creating new merchandise. We have lots of groovy ideas for you.

Apps! We want to start developing a series of fun, educational and music related apps for our young tech savvy fans

Charity work. We have recently started partnership with a well known Scottish Children's charity and we want to be able to spend more time working and promoting the good work they do.

Internships and Work Experience. With extra pledges we can start to build relationships with colleges and universities to help young and perhaps the not so young get some experience in the arts.

... and much more!

Once again, any questions/comments/suggestions are greatly received.

We love you Funboxers xx

You and me, turn the key... open the locks of the FUNBOX!

We aren’t ones for being serious - in fact we break out in a cold sweat at the mere thought of it - but in this one instance we are going to have to be grown ups as we say...

GARY, ANYA, KEVIN and BONZO NEED YOUR SUPPORT.

We love what we do, we love you as our fans, we love that we have a rare honour in our chosen careers that can bring so much happiness to people; we have been privileged to be part of a great Scottish institution and we want to keep this tradition alive and well and of the highest standard.

For years The Singing Kettle brought a very unique theatrical experience to the families of Scotland (and beyond) with a career spanning over 32 years. From naught-ninety audiences could enjoy getting together with those they held dear for a good old sing song. Families have taken those songs and passed them down to to their children, children's children and maybe even children's children's children! There weren't many family theatrical experiences like the Singing Kettle, and Kevin, Anya and Gary were devastated at its closure; not just because we loved working together but also what would happen to that special tradition that has brought families together for 32 years? Our first port of call was, of course, to save the Kettle. If we could keep it singing for years to come then thats what we wanted to do. Unfortunately this was not an option and we had to accept that some things are out with our control. But some things we could very much take control of and so, FUNBOX was born, aiming to still bring music, joy and family bonding for years to come.

We are also very lucky to have the loyal lovely fans we do and we want you to be a part of our adventure as we start from the very beginning (a very good place to start) and present you with FUNBOX - a brand new family show filled with Scottish songs and silliness. In order to launch our very first show we are giving all Funbox fans the chance to invest in the premier of “Pirates and Princesses” at the SECC on 1st March 2015.

FUNBOX is a new venture and Gary, Kevin and Anya (and Bonzo) don’t have the cushion of a years worth of finances from previous shows. We are starting completely afresh and everything you have seen so far has come from us alone. We are looking to raise vital funds for our first performance and DVD recording in return for exclusive merchandise and VIP experiences. We know lots of you have already bought your tickets, done all you can to share news of FUNBOX and basically been our cheerleaders spurring us on when we are feeling a bit low and we can never thank you enough for that. But realistically we could do with a few extra quid...

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

If you want to help us financially we have some rewards available that will be exclusive to this campaign - once they're gone, they're gone! - and we have a range of goodies to suit every wallet. Every donation you make will help us cover the costs of our first ever Funbox show and DVD recording. We are happy to share with you just some of the costs involved to put on a show and create a DVD product that you all deserve. These include...

... not to mention post production editing, animations and graphics and 50 curry flavour Pot Noodles for Bonzo! Phew! So as you can see it all begins to add up.

A donation to our Crowdfunding campaign isn't just a contribution to our DVD; with your help we can get our show up and running and fit to tour to all the venues you have seen us in before. And you know what else that means? It means that we will have had a good start as Funbox and can hit the ground running, hopefully continuing to do what we and you love for years to come, still bringing families and friends together for an afternoon of song and laughter and tradition. You really will be part of Funbox forever by being involved, and we will never forget your kindness and belief in us.

SOME TECHNICAL BUMF

We have tried to offer rewards to fit all budgets but please bare in mind in doing so we have had to consider our own costs - postage and packaging, materials, time, travel expenses etc.

The most important bit...rewards will be delivered only if we reach our Crowdfunding target. If we are unsuccessful then we won't be able to give you the goodies. Any money that has been pledged will be repaid in full. So if there’s something on the list that you really want (and all our rewards are exclusive to this campaign and won't be available anywhere else) feel free to rally the troops and get them involved too!

If pledging for Backstage Tours please note that you must already have a ticket to your chosen performance. Your tour party can be a maximum of 6 people and you may be touring with other groups as well. We do ask that at least one responsible adult is present per group. Also, Bonzo gets a bit shy so you can't book for both a cast tour and Bonzo tour for the same show. Dates and times will be confirmed via email.

For our CD's Kids Khorus dates and times will be confirmed for later in the year - this is not for our Pirates and Princesses CD due to time restraints. Recording dates will happen at arranged venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Parents/guardians must be present. One child per pledge (pick your favourite).

Our Singalong Experience is subject to an agreement with FUNBOX and the pledger and is an hour's appearance including at least 40 minutes performance and meet and greet opportunities. Please bare in mind we are touring most weekends before pledging to avoid disappointment. This reward is limited to private parties, schools, nurseries or clubs (rainbows, beavers etc) and cannot be used for commercial gain/profit. If interested please contact [email protected] for more information and dates before committing to pledge.

Our FUNBOX party will take place at Glenfarg (just off the M90, near Perth) Village Hall on Sunday 26th July 2015, time to be confirmed. Party snacks and juice will be included. One child per pledge and a responsible adult must be present. The party will last approx 90 minutes including songs, games, refreshments, meet and greets and photo ops.

If you have any questions please ask. We are more than happy to answer them all and want to make this campaign as easy and understandable for everyone; after all without you guys behind us we have nothing.